Fooodie | Travel addict | DIY

28 December 20154 May 2017

Christmas Market – Düsseldorf

Ho ho ho! I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas~

Ah man, Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday. I like everything about Christmas (not even exaggerating): the decorations, the cold weather, the food and smells, spending time with friends and family, the ugly Christmas sweaters, Home Alone 1-99. And not to forget: my best friends, Mariah and Michael Bublé. Everything is so happy, warm and cozy.

As I promised, this post will be all about Düsseldorf and its Christmas market. Mantik and I went there from the 21st of December till the 23rd of December. We went to Düsseldorf by car. It’s a 2,5-3 hour drive from my hometown, that’s quite doable right? You can also go by train or plane, but these options are more expensive. We stayed at the Novum Hotel Maxim near Fürstenplatz and we found a super cheap parking garage, only 6 euros per day!

Now, onto the important part. The Christmas market in Düsseldorf is open from the 20th of November till the 23rd of December from 11:00 AM – 08:00 PM. There are 6 differently themed markets which are scattered throughout the city (see map).

It’s really fun to walk through the city and visit the different markets. Even though they (mostly) offer the same stuff, the atmosphere is different in each market. For example: Marktplatz and Gustaf Platz are more family-friendly, because they have a merry-go-round and an ice-skating rink. My favorite markets are the (1) Marktplatz, (2) Flingerstrasse and the (3) Stadtbrückchen.

What can you expect to see? Big crowds of people standing cozy together, while enjoying their food and drinks. And loads of stands selling all kinds of traditional German street food and snacks like Reibekuchen, Bratwurst, Curry wurst, sugared almonds, Dampfnudeln, baked mushrooms, fried Camembert, chocolates, Dutch poffertjes, roasted chestnuts, hot chocolate, Gluhwein and much more. They also sell handmade decorations (wood/glass), jewelery and other stuff, but I’m only interested in the food. Here follow some snacks we tried:

(1) Reibekuchen with Apple Sauce

This is the German version of the Rösti/hashbrown, but much juicier and uber crunchy. The saltiness of the steaming hot Reibekuchen and the sweetness of the cold apple sauce is the perfect combination! The fritters are fried in oil so it’s a bit greasy, but it is worth it.

4 fritters + apple sauce = 4 euros

(2) Bratwurst

Bratwurst. What can I say? JUST LOOK AT IT! The Bratwurst was really juicy and flavorful (sounds so bad lol). This is a definite must-try!

Huge ass sausage (ahum) + bun = 3,50 euros

(3) White Chocolate Schokoküsse with Almonds

I was SUPER excited when I saw this white chocolate Schokoküsse, because they only sell the milk chocolate version in my country. The filling was so fluffy and the almonds gave a nice texture! There were more than 15 flavors and only 1 stand sold these chocolates. You can find it in the Heinrich Heine Allee.

1 Schokoküsse = 1 euro

(4) Fried Camembert with Toast and Cranberry Sauce

I saved the best for last. Crunchy, creamy, gooey and the slightly tangy sauce.. ARGH! My words can’t do this dish any justice. The only thing I can say is that it’s a freaking match made in heaven.

Fried Camembert + toast + cranberry sauce = 4 euros

I had a great time in Düsseldorf! I really want to go back next year or visit another Christmas market. Maybe Frankfurt? Trier? Munich? We will see hehe.